After years working as a paramedic in Sydney and living the bachelor life, Liam has had enough. He's convinced himself, and everyone else, that he's moved home to Birrangulla for a slower pace of life, but what he's really looking for is the woman of his dreams.

From the outside, emergency nurse Poppy McDonald lives a charmed life. Unfortunately, when she moved to the other side of the world to escape her family, all she did was swap one controlling environment for another. After Poppy's father dies, she returns to Australia to face her past. And her mother. But she has no intention of staying, and definitely not in Birrangulla.

When Liam and Poppy meet, there's an instant spark. Liam knows Poppy is the one even though she's carrying more than her share of baggage. But can he gain her trust and get her to look beyond her past? Or will the man Poppy left in the US return and ruin everything?

Product description

Product Description

After years working as a paramedic in Sydney and living the bachelor life, Liam has had enough. He's convinced himself, and everyone else, that he's moved home to Birrangulla for a slower pace of life, but what he's really looking for is the woman of his dreams.

From the outside, emergency nurse Poppy McDonald lives a charmed life. Unfortunately, when she moved to the other side of the world to escape her family, all she did was swap one controlling environment for another. After Poppy's father dies, she returns to Australia to face her past. And her mother. But she has no intention of staying, and definitely not in Birrangulla.

When Liam and Poppy meet, there's an instant spark. Liam knows Poppy is the one even though she's carrying more than her share of baggage. But can he gain her trust and get her to look beyond her past? Or will the man Poppy left in the US return and ruin everything?

About the Author

Nicki Edwards is a city girl with a country heart. Growing up on a small family acreage, she spent her formative years riding horses and pretending the neighbour's farm was her own. After spending three years in a regional city in New South Wales, her love of small country towns was further developed. One day she plans to escape to the country with her husband Tim and live on land surrounded by horses, dogs, cows and sheep. Until then she lives vicariously through the lives of the characters in the rural romance novels she loves to read. In 2006, when Nicki's youngest child started school, she returned to university, juggling full time study, part time work and raising four small children, to achieve her dream of becoming a nurse. Always a voracious reader, Nicki's other dream was to be an author. Nicki writes medical rural romance and when she isn't reading, writing or dreaming about rural life and medical emergencies, she can be found working as a Critical Care Nurse in a busy Intensive Care Unit, where many of her stories and characters are imagined. Nicki and Tim reside in Geelong, Victoria with their four teenage/young adult children. Life is busy, fun and at times exhausting, but Nicki wouldn't change it for anything. Visit her at nickiedwards.com.au.

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I absolutely love “Critical Condition”!Having read “Intensive Care”, the first book in this series, then reading “The Peppercorn Project”, a standalone novel, I was pleasantly surprised to realise that Critical Condition could also be read as a standalone, even though it is the fourth and final book in this lovely series. I am currently reading the second book “Emergency Response”, which I shall follow up with the third treasure, “Life Support”.

The way Ms Edwards’ books flow, make it possible to read them out of order, which is lucky for me as I am always doing things in the wrong order. With beautifully constructed descriptions, one can imagine being right there in the orchard. Ms Edwards gradually introduces the characters from her previous books, until eventually, we have a wonderful picture of who’s who, and where they fit in the scheme things.

As soon as I read the first page, I was drawn in. This sweet and engaging story begins at the orchard of Lexton Downs, through the eyes of Liam and Kate who are attending an engagement party, which turns out to be a surprise wedding, “under the banner of blue skies and glorious autumn sunshine”. It was, a gorgeous day, and the bride, Liam’s little sister looked absolutely stunning. Liam was pleased to see Emily happily married, but inside his own heart, he yearned to find that elusive one, that perfect woman, that angel he could spend the rest of his life with. “But, if Liam was honest, the green-eyed monster was attacking him”.

Then along comes Poppy, a seemingly confident young woman with the world at her feet. Originally fleeing life in Australia, and building a new one in New York, she was now living the dream. Or was she? How well did she really know that handsome boyfriend of hers? Was everything as it seemed?Her father’s untimely death makes a return trip to Australia necessary. A trip which will bring with it many surprises, but an equal amount of angst as she tries to come to terms with her past life, and even her current one. Behind Poppy’s mask of high self-esteem and devil may care attitude, is an extremely troubled young girl.

Both Liam and Poppy are searching for something … someone … maybe.Poppy is far from Liam’s idea of perfect. Or is she?She has enough baggage to fill up every bag carousel at an international airport!But maybe some things are just meant to be. Will they be able to smooth over any rough edges, and form a lifelong partnership? Both of their lives, but especially Poppy’s are complicated.

Nicki Edwards has such a beautiful, natural writing style. You are able to visualise people and their surroundings so well, that it’s almost as if you were there. I would go as far as to say ‘you are a part of the story’. The characters have become like family.

If you love good, clean romance, with oodles of suspense, just the right amount of conflict, and of course a beautiful, happy ending, then this is the book for you.

Thank you Nicki Edwards, for nailing it again. You are the queen of rural, medical romance.

Have been waiting months for the continuing saga in this series. Once I started couldn't put it down,loved it the willing and wanting events to happen don't disappoint. Love the medical situations that unite the characters. Happy Liam finds love sorry the story ended! Definitely worth reading.

It wasn't that I should have gone to sleep three hours earlier, it was more worrying that the battery on my phone would go flat before I finished the book. Nicki Edwards has the knack of making the characters in her book feel like people you care about and you want to know how their lives work out. I had tears on three occasions while reading this book.

I've never related to a character more than to Poppy! She so perfectly represents the struggles and strength it takes to be brought up by a mother with serious mental health issues. Highly recommend this book!